Utility knives are widely used in industry and the building trades and typically employ a replaceable cutting blade movably mounted between extended and retracted positions with respect to a main body of the utility knife. Specifically, the blade is typically releasably mounted to a blade holder that is in turn movably mounted within the main body to move the blade between retracted and extended positions. The blades must be replaced as they become dull or break. A supply of replacement blades may be stored within the main body portion of some utility knives. When a blade needs to be replaced, the user removes a new blade from the main body, releases the old blade from the blade holder, releasably mounts the new blade on the blade holder.
Removing a replacement blade from the main body frequently requires the user to partially disassemble the utility knife which can be time-consuming and may require the use of additional tools. Often, for example, the main body is comprised of two halves secured together with a screw or other fastener which must be removed before the user can access the supply of new blades and/or replace the old blade. The fasteners for most utility knives are exposed in the assembled utility knife in the gripped area of the main body which is undesirable because these fasteners detract from the aesthetic appearance of the knife. Other utility knives provide a blade storage member that stores spare blades in a concealed manner within the body. The blade storage member is movable with respect to the main body and enables access to the spare blades.
In some commercial embodiments such a blade storage member has been pivotally mounted to the main body and pivoted downwardly to a fully opened position to permit access to the spare blades. While this embodiment has met considerable commercial success, it would be advantageous to provide a more controlled movement of the blade storage member to the fully opened position so as to prevent the possibility that the force of gravity causes the storage member to rapidly swing open, which may cause the blades to fall out of the storage member under the force of gravity.
Existing utility knives provide a wide range of mechanisms for releasing the old blade from the blade holder. Some utility knives require the main body to be disassembled into two halves (by, for example, removing a screw) to remove the blade. This is undesirable because disassembly and reassembly is inconvenient and time consuming. Other utility knives allow the old blade to be removed without disassembly, but include a blade releasing structure that is operatively associated with the blade holder to release the blade. The conventional blade releasing structure may include a manually engageable button that is mounted from within the main body and protrudes from the body for manual engagement to release the blade. The button is not fixed to either body half. Thus, when the body halves are separated (e.g., for cleaning the inside of the knife), the button may fall out and be misplaced. In addition, reassembly of the knife becomes tedious and time consuming.
A need exists for a utility knife that allows the user to remove spare blades therefrom by opening the main body thereof in a controlled, gradual manner. A Further need exists for a utility knife that includes a blade releasing structure that is operatively associated with the blade holder for releasing the blade when the utility knife is in its assembled condition, but which will remain attached to a portion of the main body when the utility knife is disassembled. A further need exists for a utility knife which has its fasteners concealed for an improved aesthetic appearance.